Undefeated!
Defending league champions!

No this is not a blog about the Green Bay Packers, but more a team that has literally been forgotten about by Milwaukee area sports fans.

The Milwaukee Wave, 5 time league champions and probably the most successful sports team on the state that does not wear green and gold. Coached by Keith Tozer, who is arguably the greatest soccer coach in North American Soccer history, this team is loved by their season ticket holders and die hard fans. The problem is, to the general public the team is unknown. 

This has been noticeable from the attendance figures over the past 3 seasons. Despite being one of the most successful indoor soccer franchises in the country, fans are not showing up to games.

It's hard to pinpoint one cause for this. Yes the economy is still down, but the Brewers, Badgers and Packers have no problem selling out their venues. Lack of media coverage could be an issue, but how much of an effect on attendance does a 30 second story on the 10PM news have?

The Wave are one of those Milwaukee institutions that need  to be embraced by the community. Indoor soccer players do not get the multi million dollar contracts like their colleagues in baseball, football and basketball.

Since it's birth in 1984, the Wave have been actively involved in the community and have offered assistance to numerous charitable organizations and event. In a nutshell, The Wave cares about the community.

So back to my original question...why are Milwaukee sports fans not supporting the Milwaukee Wave? Is it because they are not fans of the traditional game of soccer? Is it because they do not understand the game?

Plain and simple, much like the Bucks, Brewers, and Packers...Milwaukee Wave games are entertaining for sports fans of all levels. Same goes for the Milwaukee Admirals and Milwaukee Mustangs.

My fear is if the sports fans of our great city do not start showing up for Wave games, the team could quietly disappear into the Wisconsin night. Remember back in the summer of 2009 there was the "Save The Wave" campaign as the team was put up for sale and the front office shut down for 2 weeks prior to current owner Jim Lindenberg purchasing the team.

If you are a Milwaukee sports fan...I encourage you to support our local "smaller" teams like the Wave, Admirals and Mustangs. They all offer amazing ticket deals and promotions.

I would personally love to see 6,000 fans at annual Milwaukee Wave New Year's Eve game. I would love to witness the Bradley Center filled with Admirals fans. It would be amazing to see a loud and raucous crowd at the Mustangs home opener in March.

Sports fans, put down the remote, get off your couch and get out and support you local sports teams (the ones that don't have millionaire athletes)